Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Putnam Valley grades A overall, ranked 125th of 745 in New York. It has 71 miles of trail and 38% conserved land. Residents are healthier than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $138K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $511K, 5.2 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Putnam Valley’s average trip to work is 45 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, at 5,957 acres with 44.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Putnam Valley's schools rank ahead of 90% of New York towns.
Where Putnam Valley beats most towns.
38% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Putnam Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,659 in 1840, a low of 704 in 1920, 11,762 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Putnam Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaYankee Stadium
Big draw37 mi MuseumThe Cloisters
25 mi LandmarkFerncliff Cemetery
7 mi Stadium & arenaMichie Stadium
25 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a yearUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Cloisters: Paweł Drozd on Wiki Drozdpl cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:05, 27 December 2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Putnam Valley, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Putnam Valley.
Putnam Valley keeps more of its land conserved than most of New York, has less food insecurity than most of New York and sends most of its workers to New York City and beyond.
Its 10,313 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of New York towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #20 of 758 in New York.
71 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Putnam Valley’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park | 44.3 mi | 5,957 |
| 2. Agatha A. Durland Scout Reservation | 11.2 mi | 1,361 |
| 3. Granite Mountain Preserve | 4.2 mi | 356 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $511K.
Its public schools are run by the Putnam Valley Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Putnam Valley High School, with 526 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam Valley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 526 | A |
| Putnam Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 526 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 8.4% of its 7,471 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
27% of Putnam Valley adults have obesity. Putnam Valley beats the New York average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of Putnam Valley adults report frequent mental distress.
| Putnam Valley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Putnam Valley | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.4% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Putnam Valley has 1,160 jobs for its 5,392 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 44.6 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Putnam Valley for work: only 7% work in town. 4.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Putnam Valley. Jobs based in Putnam Valley grew to 1,160 in 2023, 92 more than in 2013.
| Putnam Valley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $138,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.5% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Putnam Valley has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 70 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Putnam Valley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median rent in Putnam Valley is $2,000 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Putnam Valley
About 6 of every 100 Putnam Valley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where Putnam Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Putnam Valley is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 11,762 at the 2020 census. Its location is northeast of New York City, in the southwestern part of Putnam County. Putnam Valley calls itself the "Town of Lakes".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Putnam Valley.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam Valley | #125 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Carmel | #79 | A | D | A | B+ | A |
| Kent | #141 | A− | D | A | B− | A |
| Philipstown | #130 | A | D | — | A | A |
Putnam Valley and Philipstown report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Putnam Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Putnam Valley grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #125 of 745 in New York. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $511,000, 3% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
